34. Zack
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
zack
My truck is sitting in the driveway, and eerie music is booming out of my home theater. My feet carry me down the hall, following the sounds of shrieking from the speakers.
Evvy’s comfort movies.
Evvy being home this early from her first day back at work has my heart pounding.
It can’t be good news. I find her starfished across the sectional couch with one foot draped over the back and the other dangling off the side.
She has the jar of candy corn on the sofa table and her favorite movie is playing on the screen.
“Evvy,” I say gently, trying not to scare her.
“Oh, you’re home.” She lifts her head to look at me. “Candy corn?” She tosses a piece to me over the back of the couch.
“And you’re home too?” I fear I know the answer.
“Yup. Fired. Well, not fired per se, more like transferred unwillingly to Colorado.” She tosses a piece of candy corn in the air and catches it in her mouth.
Colorado? I can’t lose her again. Maybe I can be traded mid-season? And why is she so calm?
“You’re moving to Colorado?”
“Nope. Are you going to sit down?” She motions for me to join her on the couch.
I slide down beside her and pull her feet onto my lap. She’s wearing my sweatshirt and a pair of leggings. Her hair’s piled high on her head and she looks unusually relaxed.
“Evvy…”
“I’m okay, Zack. I’m really okay. I had a good cry in the truck. Then I came back here and had a virtual session with my therapist. I’ve gained a lot of clarity over the last couple hours.”
Taking Evvy’s feet in my hands, I give her a massage and she hums. She does look okay, but this is a lot.
“But you loved your job. I can’t let you lose out on an opportunity because of me.
” My hockey career separated us once before and I won’t let it come between us again.
But if Evvy needs to move to Colorado, we’ll figure it out.
“If I have to choose between you and hockey, it’s you every time, Evvy.
It will always be you. There’s no competition.
I could retire at the end of this season. ”
Evvy’s mouth falls open slightly as she releases a deep breath. “Wow,” she whispers. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I’m serious. Don’t be afraid to follow your dreams. If this is what you want, we’ll make it work. Don’t make decisions at your own expense for my sake.”
“It’s not just because of you. I mean, I don’t want to lose you again, but there are also other reasons for not taking the job.
” She sighs as my thumbs press into the soles of her feet.
“I love Maine and I don’t want to leave.
I did love working for the state park, but it was more about the location than anything.
Now that I’m living here, I don’t necessarily feel like I need to work for the parks. ”
“What would you like to do?”
“Hmm. In grad school I focused on meteoritics, so maybe something with that? Oooo that feels good.” She smiles as I continue to rub her feet.
“Meteoritics?”
“Yeah, studying meteorites. Kind of funny, huh?” She laughs.
“Funny?” This whole thing is so beyond me, but I’m just relieved to see her smiling.
“I studied meteorites, and you play for the Maine Meteors.” She beams at me.
“That is a pretty big coincidence.” I can’t resist the urge to tickle the bottom of her feet, and she squirms with laughter.
“Zack!” she shrieks.
“Okay, okay. I’ll stop.” I switch back to the relaxing foot massage.
“You know what else is funny?”
“What, Evvy girl?”
“You’re last name, Shayle, is a variant of the word shale, which is a type of sedimentary rock. The most plentiful sedimentary rock in the Earth’s crust. And you’re dating a geologist?” She says it like a question, laced with a little laugh.
“That I am.” I can’t hide my goofy grin. This feels like Evvy’s version of claiming me, and I’m totally here for it. “Have I ever told you how much I love your brain, my Halloween girl?”
“No, I don’t think you have.” She flashes me her beautiful smile and my heart melts a little.
“It’s the sexiest thing about you.”
“I guess I should talk about rocks more often.”
Evvy’s foot grazes my cock and the bulge in my pants swiftly inflates. “You mean like how you make me rock hard?” I wink and she scrambles to her feet, hovering over me.
“Way to make it weird, Shayle.” She leans in and presses the softest kiss to my lips. She opens for me and the sweet taste of candy corn fills my mouth. It’s so fitting for her.
“You love it,” I murmur against her lips. And I love you. I want to say it, because it’s true. But it doesn’t feel right to say it for the first time in thirteen years on the day that she lost her job. It needs to be special.
“I kind of do.” Evvy laughs as she presses a kiss to my forehead. “Come on, I’m hungry.” She offers me her hand. “I could go for one of your famous omelets.”
“Sounds egg-cellent.” I laugh at my own joke.
“Wow you’re such a wordsmith…and a dork.”
“I guess it’s a good thing my girlfriend has a PhD.”
“Girlfriend?” She smiles as I twine our fingers together. “I don’t remember you asking?”
“I didn’t, but I like the sound of it.”
Smiling, Evvy looks down at our hands. “I do too.”
Girlfriend is a good start but it doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings for her.
“Come on, boyfriend. The eggs won’t cook themselves.”